After years of active preparation and prayer, more than 50 local churches partnered together with the Luis Palau Association to throw a party for Klamath Falls known as Greater Klamath CityFest with Andrew Palau.

All the hard work of many local leaders and volunteers led to an exciting day of great music, fun activities, and good news on May 27 at the Klamath County Fairgrounds.

A 9,000-Attendee Day

An estimated 9,000 people came out for Greater Klamath CityFest — enjoying:

  • Live music
  • Action sports
  • Activities for kids
  • Much more — all for free

The community-friendly festival featured award-winning artists:

  • Newsboys (headlining)
  • Ryan Stevenson
  • Marisol Park

Activities and Attractions

Special kids' outreach — in partnership with Kids Blitz

Family fun zone: - A mechanical bull - Carnival games - A petting zoo - A gaming tent - Pony rides - And more

BMX/FMX demonstration — in partnership with The Stunt Dudes

Personal Stories and Testimony

Throughout the day attendees also had the chance to hear personal stories and testimonies from the musicians and athletes — sharing how their faith in Jesus has changed their life.

In the evening, Andrew Palau shared a clear Gospel message from the main stage — giving everyone in attendance the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

The Week Before the Festival

While many were reached with a message of hope at the festival, the week prior included multiple affinity events and gatherings for the community — led by Andrew Palau and his wife Wendy.

Throughout the week there were gatherings for:

  • Young athletes
  • Prisoners
  • Local men and women from the community

That week-of-preparation pattern is intentional. CityFest isn't just a one-day event — it's the culmination of months of relationship-building, prayer, and partnership-forming across the basin.

CityServe — The Long-Term Initiative

With Greater Klamath CityFest acting as a catalyst, the movement has also been providing opportunities for the churches in the Greater Klamath region to set aside differences and unite in service.

In an effort that has come to be known as CityServe, the churches are focusing on several areas of need:

  • Homelessness
  • Youth and family
  • Cleanup and restoration

CityServe in Practice

Tidy Town Days

Through CityServe, there were multiple days where people from the community came together for Tidy Town Days — dedicating hours of their weekend to cleaning up parts of the city.

That kind of cross-church, cross-denomination, cross-belief-system volunteer work is exactly the unifying impact CityFest organizers hoped for.

Klamath Cares for Homelessness

Additionally, on May 27 — before the festival — there was a service initiative called Klamath Cares for those who are experiencing homelessness.

Many came out for the free services offered by the community:

  • Free meals
  • Mental health assessments
  • Counseling
  • Employment services
  • Foot massages
  • Haircuts
  • Dental services
  • And more

For people experiencing homelessness in the basin, having that many services concentrated in one day — with no qualifying paperwork required — is a meaningful access point.

How to Participate Going Forward

For more information about CityServe and to learn how you can take part in the ongoing work, visit klamathcityfest.org/cityserve.

A Global Movement, Local Impact

While the local community continues the efforts started by the Palau Association and CityFest, the Palau Association will move on to support similar campaigns in cities across the globe — including efforts later this year in:

  • Nairobi, Kenya
  • Montevideo, Uruguay
  • Cairo, Egypt

You can learn more about the Palau Association and their ongoing work around the world by visiting palau.org.

What CityFest Left Behind for Klamath

A single 9,000-attendee day is impressive. But the enduring impact of Greater Klamath CityFest is in the relationships built between the 50+ local churches that partnered to make it happen.

Pastors who hadn't worked together started working together. Congregations that had operated in parallel started coordinating. Volunteer networks that had been church-specific started serving the broader community.

That cross-congregation cooperation is exactly the kind of long-term ripple effect that a community-wide event like CityFest is designed to spark — and the 2026 return of CityFest (covered in the April 2026 issue of Klamath Living) confirms that the momentum has been carried forward.

Looking Ahead

For Klamath Basin readers thinking about how to engage with CityServe's ongoing work:

  • Connect with your local church if you have one — most participating churches are still active in CityServe
  • Volunteer at Tidy Town Days when scheduled
  • Donate through the CityServe portal to fund ongoing homelessness-relief work
  • Watch for the next CityFest — confirmed return events are part of an ongoing rotation

A Final Word

Greater Klamath CityFest demonstrated something the basin already knew but doesn't always practice: when we work together across denomination, congregation, and creed, we can do more for our community than any of us can do alone.

Thank you to every church, volunteer, partner, and attendee who made the day possible. The basin is better for what you built.